Money matters

Finished reading The Richest Man in Babylon yesterday. Excellent book. I'll admit that I would have preferred the financial information straight-up rather than in Babylonian parables, but you take what you get. It's inspired me with a vision of what I can become, financially. I don't particularly care to become filthy rich -- all I want is financial security for my future family and the knowledge that I'm wisely using the money which comes to me. Money troubles are hell, I've found. Before my mission money didn't really bother me (I had a really good programming job and didn't really have any expenses), but ever since I moved out, I've been thrust into the "real world" where money does matter. Rent, food, and everything else have cast new light onto how I view my life. Before, I always thought, "I don't need to worry about it -- it'll all be okay." And so I spent frivolously without a thought for the morrow. If there was money in my bank account, then it was okay to spend it (at least until it ran out). I made sure I had enough to pay rent but that was about it. And so the past few months have gone by.

Now, however, I've seen the light. I'm realizing how important it is to save for the future -- after all, someday it's not going to be just me, but I'm going to have a family to take care of, too. How selfish is it to focus just on my immediate gratifications now and forget about my future wife and kids a few years down the road? That is not how I want to live. The peace that comes from knowing that I'm secure financially is worth the sacrifice.

You know, until recently I always thought that this sort of thing (finances, etc.) was "worldly" and that because it wasn't explicitly spiritual I shouldn't really focus on it. Boy, was I wrong! Yes, it's temporal, but it has quite an impact on one's spiritual life. There is a reason that President Hinckley has repeatedly counseled the Saints to avoid debt and to live within their means.

One last thing: since my mission, I've found that many things that used to be painfully boring to me have become incredibly important, and virtually all of them have to do with raising a family (cooking, finances, etc.). I guess this is part of growing up. :)